Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Life Experience Universities

How should a university function? How does a university function? What defines the set of evaluation criteria for a university to be labeled ok or a ‘diploma mill' or ‘degree mill'?

The present situation is that of a mixture. Life experience degree colleges function in a different way than traditional degree colleges. Hence, the evaluation criteria should be different. But that is not the case; we evaluate both with the same set of criteria, which leads to one of them failing in such a pitiable manner. And then, we are quick to label them as diploma or degree mills.

Why do we behave in such insipid manner? We are unjust towards the life experience colleges from our hearts, and we know it very well. Yet, we aggravate the situation by putting up stuff on Wikipedia for the public to read, all the while knowing in our minds that it is gibberish. Seriously, have we become such characterless?

Life experience universities should not and can not be evaluated through traditional evaluation methods. If you go by traditional evaluation methods, you would most definitely crib about lack of classrooms. You would also crib about lack of a campus; and would, thus, rate the university poorly.

Life experience universities should be evaluated on their attitude in replying to customers' mails, the depth of information and clarity of the mails. Further evaluation may be done by assessing the timeliness of dispatch of study materials, the courses on offer, the fees, and the overall experience.

And when you go by this method, which is actually the only and the correct way of evaluating life experience colleges, you may find yourself in the pit - for you would most definitely be proven wrong in your assessments so far. The same universities which you were rating as degree mills would now be coming at par with the best.

By: Shubhanyu Jain

No comments: